Conventional wind turbines operate on the energy of the wind to turn two or three propeller-like blades around a rotor. The rotor is connected to either a vertical or horizontal shaft mounted generator that spins to generate electricity. Wind turbines are preferably mounted on a tower or building structure so as to capture the most energy in a location so as to receive the full effects of the wind yet not disturb the immediate environment. Typically wind turbines are positioned about thirty meters (30 m) above the ground where they can take advantage of winds that are not affected by ground effect obstructions. Wind turbines consist generally of blades that spin with respect to two orientations, vertically orientated axis or horizontally orientated axis.
Wind energy is fueled from the kinetic energy of the wind, making wind a clean fuel source. Wind energy will not pollute the air like power plants that rely on combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas. Wind turbines that rotate about a horizontal axis are best suited for large unobstructed areas hence the creation of the wind farms. Vertically disposed wind turbines are well suited for congested areas, such as residential neighborhoods.
Wind power must compete with conventional generation sources on a cost basis. Depending on how energetic a wind site is, the wind farm may or may not be cost competitive. Even though the cost of wind power has decreased dramatically in the past ten (10) years, the technology still requires a higher initial investment than fossil-fueled generators as they typically operate at ten percent (10%) efficiency.
Further, although wind power plants have relatively little impact on the environment compared to other conventional power plants, there is some concern over the noise produced by the rotor blades, aesthetic (visual) impacts, and sometimes birds that have been killed by flying into the rotors of horizontal placed axis.
The need for renewable energy sources is constantly increasing. A focus on improved wind turbines has steadily increased over time. The general quandary with wind turbines to date relates to the inefficient transfer of kinetic energy to mechanical energy for power generation. A conventional wind turbine converts as little as ten percent (10%) of the possible kinetic energy into mechanical energy for electricity generation due to the many factors that affect the efficiency of a conventional wind turbine.
What is lacking in the art is a vertical axis wind turbine design capable of producing a wind turbine capable of improving upon the efficiencies necessary to convert a higher amount of kinetic energy into mechanical energy. The instant invention addresses these and other shortcomings by introducing a vertically aligned wind turbine power generator having improved rotor and stator blade geometry.